Electric socket



June 26, 1928. 1,675,016

' C. J. ALPAUGH ELECTRIC SOCKET Filed Nov. 4, 1926 BY Y' (NVENTOR. @maMM ATTORNEY.

Patented June 26, 1928.

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

CLIFFORD J'. ALPA'UGH, 0F MERCERVILLE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE.AS- SGNMENTS, TO METEOR ELECTRIC CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ACORPO- RATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC SOCKET.

Application led November 4, 1926. Serial No. 146,125.

My invention relates to electric sockets, particularly sockets of thecharacter which are adapted to be mounted in recesses 1n building wallsor the like.

The said invention has for its general object to provide an electricsocket combining simplicity and etciency in a lngh degree.

It is also an object of the invent1on to provide contact members forsuch sockets which are interchangeable and which are so constructed thatthey are adapted for use with plugs having contact plates of differentarrangement.

To these and other ends the inventlon comprehends the construction andarrangement of parts as hereinafter described in detail, particularlypointed out in the claims and as illustrated in the accompanying drawingin which I have shown one convenient form of mechanical embodimentthereof. However', it will be understood that the invention issusceptible of embodiment in other forms of construction than that shownand that changes in the details of construction may be made within thescope of the claims without departing from the principle or spirit ofthe said invention.

Tn the drawing-Fig 1 is a central longitudinal sectional view takenalong the line 1-\-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a view in bottom plan of the base or body portion of thesocket member with parts of the structure removed in order that the saidbase may be more clearly disclosed;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the angular line 3--3of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is `a view similar to that shown in Fig. 2 but with the contactmembers, which are shown in Fig. 2 removed;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan View of one of the contact members; and

Fig. 6 is a view in edge elevation of said contact member.

VReferring to the drawing: 1 designates the base or body portion of anelectric socket which is provided with lateral projections 2 throughwhich openings 3 extend. The outer or top ends of these openings areenlarged, as indicated at 4.

The socket member 1 is provided with socket openings 10 which aredisposed therein in diametric relation to each other.

These socket openings are provided with portions 11 and 12 which arearranged substantially at right angles to each other as shown. Thesocket openings 10 are connected with the'outer side of the base 1 bymeans of notches 15, the outer sides of which are somewhat widened asindicated at 16 and which open upon the under side of said base. Theouter portions of the said notches extend below platform like portions17 which separate the lower portions of the parts or legs 11 and 12 ofthe said socket openings. In other words, the outer end portions of theparts or legs 11 and 12 of the sockets are deeper than the centralportions thereof. The inner or bottom portions of the parts 11 and 12 ofthe socket openings are relatively large in transverse area and areconnected with the front or top side of the base by narrow slot-.likeopenings 17'* and 17", the inner side of which are flush with or arecontinuations of the inner sides of parts 11 and 12 of the openings 1().These socket openings 1() are adapted to .receive the metal springcontact members which are illustrated separately and in detail in Figs.5 and 6 of the drawing. Each of these metal spring contact memberscomprises a bottom or base portion 2() which when the device is in useoccupies a position at the inner or bottom side thereof. Extending atright angles to the said bottom or base portion 20 of each of saidcontact members is an outer side or le portion 21 which when the contactmem er is in place in one of the socket openings 1() occupies a positionin the wider outer portion 16 of a notch 15. The lower end of said outerside or leg portion 21 is adapted to engage in a rectangular shapeddepression 0r seat at the lower end of the outer widened portion 16 of anotch 15 as shown in Fig 3.

The base portion 20 of each metal contact member is also provided at itsopposite ends with laterally extending projections 22 and 23 each ofwhich may be described generally as being of U-shape as is clearly shownin Fig. 6, although the outer or free leg of each projection is slightlyflared or is divergent from the other or inner leg.

When a contact member is placed in one of the Socket openings 10 theU-shaped ortions 22 and 23 enter the relatively eep portions 11 and 12thereof, as is clearly shown. At such time the portion 21 occupies aposition within the relatively wide portion 16 of the notch 15.

As already indicated, either of the metal spring Contact members may beinserted into either of the socket openings 10; that is to say, the saidContact members are interchangeable the one with the other. The portion21 of each metal contact member is provided with a screw-threadedopening as indicated at 25 for the reception of a binding screw or post26 by means of which the end of a conducting wire may be connected tothe said contact member.

As is ap arent, the bent or closed portions of the U- liaped contactlegs 22 and 23 extend from the bottom or inner side of the wall membertoward the front side thereof and it will be noted that the outerportions of the said U-shaped members normally contact with the innersides of the portions 11 and 12 of the socket openings 10.

The metal contact members are retained in place within the socket'openings 10 by means of a metal strip 30 between which and the inner orbottom side of the base portion 1 of the socket are strips 31 and 32 ofinsulating material. The strip 32 of insulating material contacts withthe base portion 2O of the contact members and holds the same securelyand stationarily in place within the socket openings 10. The outer endportions of the bar 30 are bent so as to provide portions 33 whichoverlie the outer ends of the projections 2. Projecting laterally fromthe portions 33 are extensions 34 provided with openin s 35 and 36through which means may ge passed for fastening the socket member to abuilding wall or other structure. The strip 30 together with the strips31 and 32 are retained in place by tubular rivets 38 which extendthrough the openings 3 and the opposite ends of which are upset asindicated at 40.

It will be observed that each of the contact members is provided withtwo U-shaped portions 22 and 23 constituting two sprlng contact portionswith which the contact plates of a plug such as 50 are adapted tocontact.

In the construction as illustrated the plates 51 and 52 are arranged inoppositely disposed relation to each other in parallel planes separatedfrom each other as shown. These plates are adapted to be` inserted throuh the openings 17a so as to contact with t 1e outer sides of the outerlegs of the U-shaped spring contact portions of the contact memberswhich occupy the portions 11 of the socket openings 10. However, it willbe apparent that the plugs may be employed having plate contacts spacedfrom and relative to each other in a different manner from what isillustrated in the drawing. Such contact plates may be spaced from andrelative to each other so as toengage the spring metal contact portionsof the contact members which are located within the portions 12 of thesocket o enings 10.

The relation of t e metal contact members to the socket openings is suchthat all that is necessary is to place one of the former in one of thelatter and thereafter secure the metal strip 30 and strips 31 and 32 inplace which automatically acts to secure and retain the said metalcontact members in lace.

It will be seen that by my inventlon I have provided a construction ofelectric socket which is simple and effective and in which portionsthereof may be assembled and secured together with the greatestreadiness.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. An electric socket comprising a base member of insulating materialhaving contact receiving openings in the bottom thereof, the saidopenings each being provided with portions arranged angularl withrespect to each other, and the sai base port1on also having relativelysmall openn s leading from the bottoms of the relative y lar angularlyarranged portions of the sai contact receiving openings, and the saidbase member also having notches in the lower portion of the side and thebottom thereof which are in communication with the said contactreceiving openings, contacts adapted to tit within said openings, saidcontacts each having U-shaped contact portions which are adapted tooccupy the angularly related portions of said openings and the innerfree legs of said contact portions being adapted to contact with theinner side walls of the said angularl related portions of said openingsand sai contacts also havinglprojecting portions substantially parallelwith the said contact portions which are adapted to be located withinthe said notches.

2. A metal contact member for an electric socket comprising a baseportion with legs arranged substantially at a right angle with respectto each other, each of said legs being provided with U-sha ed springprojections extending substantial y at right angles thereto, theopposite sides of one of the said U- shapedprojections occupying planessubstantially parallel with the end of the leg to which it is comiectedand the opposite sides of the other U-sha ed projection occupyin planessubstantia y parallel with an edge o the other leg to which it isconnected, whereby the opposite sides of one of the U- shapedprojections are substantially parallel with the opposite sides of theother U- shaped projection and the said base portion being rovided witha rojection extending lateral y from the middle portion thereof in a.direction substantially parallel with the direction in which the saidU-shaped projections extend from the said base portion. 3. A contactmember for electric sockets comprising a base portion having contactprojectons extending laterally therefrom and in 5 spaced relation toeach other and also having a lateral projection extending from the outeredge thereof, said last named projection be- CLIFFORD J. ALPAUGH.

